The Covid-19 vaccine shots were administered in the US in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, in February of 2021.
The Biden administration is requiring all international passengers to test for Covid within 24 hours of departure and extending the requirement for masks on domestic flights through March 18.
The changes were announced as part of a plan to bolster the nation's arsenal of tools in its fight against the virus as the world enters its third year of the epidemic.
The plan is the latest move by the Biden administration to stem the spread of the new variant of Covid-19, which was first reported to WHO by South Africa a week ago. The WHO said that at least 23 countries have identified omicron cases so far, and that number is expected to rise in the coming days and weeks.
The U.S. confirmed its first case of the variant on Wednesday.
Senior administration officials told reporters during a press call late Wednesday that the tightened pre-departure testing protocols will apply to all in-bound international travelers regardless of vaccination status. Travelers who are vaccine-exempt were the only ones who needed proof of a negative Covid test within 72 hours of departure. Travelers who weren'tvaccinated had to have a negative Covid test within a day of departure.
A senior administration official said that doctors believe that tighter testing requirements for pre-departure will help catch more cases, potential cases of people who may be positive and inside the country. It's the right time to do it. We can implement it very quickly.
The mask mandate was supposed to expire in January but was extended. Fines will be doubled from their initial levels for noncompliance with the requirement, starting at $500 and going up to $3,000 for repeat offenders.
The Biden administration wants businesses to move forward quickly with requiring workers to be tested weekly and to get vaccinations. The new omicron variant is an important factor in the protocols.
A senior administration official said during the call that businesses should put in place some sort of vaccination requirement or testing requirements for the workplace.
Businesses with 100 or more employees were given until January 4th to have their staff vaccinations against Covid-19 or submit a negative test weekly. Employees with unvaccinated were supposed to start wearing masks indoors on December 5.
The Occupational Safety and Health administration stopped enforcement and implementation of the requirements after the Fifth Circuit halted the policy pending review.
More than two dozen lawsuits have been filed to overturn the Biden policy. Labor unions want the courts to expand the requirements to protect more workers.
The winter Covid plan includes more free at- home tests.
More than 150 million Americans with private insurance will be able to get reimbursed for home tests. Those without private insurance will be able to get at- home tests.
The plan also aims to bolster outreach efforts to get more people vaccine, ensure thequitable distribution of Covid -19 treatments to vulnerable populations, and launch over 60 rapid response teams to states to help combat the virus.
A senior administration said that the new variant is not cause for panic. We have the tools we need to fight this variant of the virus.
Biden ordered restrictions on air travel from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other countries. He did not say how long the bans would remain in place.
Three weeks after the U.S. lifted a blanket ban on visitors from more than 30 countries, those restrictions came into effect. Airline and travel stocks fell last week after other countries implemented new travel restrictions.
The president said on Monday that his administration is working with vaccine manufacturers to develop contingency plans to protect against the new variant.
He wants the FDA and CDC to use the fastest process available to approve potential vaccines.
Biden said Monday that the current Covid-19 vaccines on the market are believed to provide some protection against omicron.
Fauci noted the profile of the variant suggests it could affect the effectiveness of current vaccines. He said that more data is still needed.
Omicron has more than 30 changes to the spikeProtein alone. According to the WHO, some of the genes are associated with higher transmission and a decrease in protection.
CNBC's Spencer Kimball and Leslie Josephs contributed to the report.
